Posted: Thursday, March 27, 2014 10:00 pm
Winston-Salem Journal
Q: What do you recommend that I add to my soil to make it good soil for gardening?
Answer: Overall, the best time to build better garden soil is in the fall. But there are some practices you can put into place now. Organic farmers use these practices because their soil is the foundation of everything else that happens on the farm. Don’t use your entire garden space during one season. Divide the space into use areas by season. Grow your summer garden, but in your fall garden grow a cover crop such as buckwheat or summer peas. Turn the cover crop and use it as a green manure about three weeks before you want to start your fall garden. Another practice is to use wheat or rye straw as mulch in your summer garden. Place a 4-inch layer of mulch on top of any bare soil between plants and in the rows. At the end of the season, you can allow the mulch to mellow in place and turn it under three weeks prior to spring planting. If you want to grow a winter cover crop, turn the mulch under three weeks prior to planting your cereal rye or crimson clover.
If you are starting from scratch, consider purchasing a bag of quality compost such as Carolina Dynamite or a bagged mushroom compost to add to your garden. Add enough compost to cover the planting area to a depth of 2 inches. Work the compost into the top 4 inches of the soil surface. Prior to adding any compost, collect a soil sample for testing. Sample boxes and the appropriate paperwork are available in our office. You may return filled boxes to our office for delivery to Raleigh or you may send your samples through the U.S. Postal Service. Soil testing is completed by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Agronomic Lab in Raleigh. There is no charge for soil tests from April 1 through Nov. 27. You will receive your report in six weeks. You may not be able to use the reported results for this summer’s garden, but you will have a starting point for your fall planting.
Go online
To watch video on planting radishes, see this story at JournalNow.com.
Q: I am looking for an easy vegetable to grow with a kindergarten class. What would you suggest?
Answer: One of the easiest and fastest growing vegetables is the radish. The word in Greek means “fast appearing.” You can plant radish seeds directly into the garden or into containers and they will be ready to harvest in 25 to 30 days. Perhaps you can keep a calendar of growth with the children as you watch the garden progress. Radish seeds are large enough for small fingers. Space the seeds 1-inch apart or thin extra seedlings after they germinate so that there is proper spacing. The seeds only need to be planted ½-inch deep. There are many colors of radishes, including red, pink, white and black. Radishes are in the mustard family and are considered a cool-season vegetable, meaning that they grow best in the cool times of the year. It is great to garden with children. Children who have at least five contacts with a new food like radishes are more likely to try it on their own.
Mary Jac Brennan is the commercial horticulture agent for small farms and local food for the Forsyth Cooperative Extension. For information on home and gardening issues, contact the Forsyth Cooperative Extension office at extension@forsyth.cc or call (336) 703-2850.
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Thursday, March 27, 2014 10:00 pm.
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